The ever-popular HBO series "The Sopranos" closed its seven-long season run with perhaps the most ambiguous conclusion in the annals of television drama.
Aficionados of HBO’s long-running television series “The Sopranos” shouldn’t have been surprised at the ambiguous ending to the ultra-popular crime drama.
After all, did anyone really expect that creator David Chase would kill off Tony Soprano, the paterfamilia (i.e., head made guy of the North Jersey mob)? Or, even worse, have him thrown in the slammer? Or, horror of horrors, put Tony in the witness protection program? Nope. No way.
That way if Chase can ratchet down costs – or James Gandolfini (Tony Soprano) finds movie roles tough to come by – there’s always the possibility the series could be revived, or at least they could cobble together a feature film, anyway.
No, Chase has proven himself very adept over the years at crafting intricate plot lines, with more twists and turns than LeMans. After all, who could’ve predicted that Tony’s sister, Janice, would off her gangster boyfriend? Or that Tony would murder fellow mobster Ralphie because Ralphie failed to mourn the death of their racehorse, Pie-O-My? Or smother his nephew, Christopher?
Finally, who would have guessed that seemingly straight arrow FBI Agent Harris would tip off Tony to the whereabouts of Tony’s nemesis, Phil Leotardo, so Tony can have Phil killed off?
Seventh Season a Maze
Truth to tell, the show’s seventh season was much more disjointed than ever before. Tony and Christopher are suddenly on the outs with no explanation, and Christopher becomes a father, though the baby’s birth isn’t touched upon. A.J., working as the night manager at a pizza place, is suddenly back at college. Then he’s neither working or in school.
And there were several mob hits involving characters never previously introduced in the series. In addition, Christopher & company finally got their movie made, although the project had seemingly stalled during season six. That was another huge leap. Likewise, Meadow Soprano apparently dumped her fiancé, Finn, but that isn’t dealt with either. Nor was Uncle Junior’s rapid descent into senility.
There seemed to be little continuity in season seven of the series, which was always noted for providing a lot of what they call “back story.”
FBI Guy Played Key Role
Harris’ about-face is perhaps the most shocking of all. Always cool and noncommittal toward Tony, Harris suddenly began feeding Tony information about rival mob boss Leotardo. The last tidbit Harris passed along proved Leotardo’s death sentence.
Phil’s death came but a half-hour into the last episode, after which the show treaded water.
The anticlimactic ending occurred at a local diner; where Tony, his wife Carmela, and A.J. sat down to eat. Despite the presence of several menacing figures, nothing whatsoever goes down. Instead after parking her SUV, Meadow bee bopped into the diner, the bells on the front door chimed, and the TV screen immediately went black. The end.
As ambiguous as it was, the ultimate end to the last show of the series’ seven-year run was absolute genius.
